There are dozens of days, weeks and months and events aimed at increasing our awareness of a cause.
Wednesday is no different. But the cause is much closer to home - it's our own family.
It's Family Day in California, part of a national movement launched by the National Center on Addiction Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. It's a day intended to encourage families to spend time with one another and strengthen their bond.
Years of research by CASA has found that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.
This year, California First Lady Maria Shriver, honorary chair of the state's Family Day, and the California Restaurant Association have teamed to promote Family Day and got more than 600 member restaurants to offer free kids meals with the purchase of an adult entree from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Follow this link for a list of participating restaurants in Northern California.
For Shriver's tips on celebrating family day, click here.
Be sure to visit my blog tomorrow, when I'll feature an interview with Shriver, as well as a recipe for those of us looking to celebrate Family Day at home.
How do you make time for your family? What do you like to do together? Do you have any tips for other parents on connecting with children, especially teenagers? Post your thoughts and comments here.
Wednesday is no different. But the cause is much closer to home - it's our own family.
It's Family Day in California, part of a national movement launched by the National Center on Addiction Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University. It's a day intended to encourage families to spend time with one another and strengthen their bond.
Years of research by CASA has found that the more often children eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs.
This year, California First Lady Maria Shriver, honorary chair of the state's Family Day, and the California Restaurant Association have teamed to promote Family Day and got more than 600 member restaurants to offer free kids meals with the purchase of an adult entree from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday.
Follow this link for a list of participating restaurants in Northern California.
For Shriver's tips on celebrating family day, click here.
Be sure to visit my blog tomorrow, when I'll feature an interview with Shriver, as well as a recipe for those of us looking to celebrate Family Day at home.
How do you make time for your family? What do you like to do together? Do you have any tips for other parents on connecting with children, especially teenagers? Post your thoughts and comments here.
